Voting-ballot



ATTORNEY.

R. WHITE. VOTING BALLOT.

PatentedMay 9. 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT WHITE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

VOTING-BALLOT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,965, dated May 9, 1893.

Application filed October '7, 1891 Serial No. 408,041. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Ballots; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in, the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates more particularly to a new and improved ballot or voting sheet, and to an improved form of ballot sheet or blanket ballot, which is intended to be used in the place of, and as an improvement upon, the so-called Australian ballot or secret ballot, in the election of national, State and minor officers, and in the election of corporation or other officersby ballot system.

Experience has taught that, in the popular elections, restrictions and protections must be made, both with reference to the persons charged by law with the duty of receiving the votes and making returns thereon and, also, with reference to the maintenance of perfect freedom of will of the personal voter in casting his vote; and it is also specially desirable to facilitate the making of returns by the canvassing board and to prevent, so far as possible, the occasional dishonesty on the part of such returning boards, to eliminate uncertain, unintelligible or improper votes, and also to avoid the possibility of marked ballots and the fraud and intimidation practiced thereby. It is the tendency to provide what has been termed a blanket ballot, that is, a ballot which, upon a single sheet, shall contain the entirelist of candidates at any given election. But this method entirely does away with the division and separation of the votes cast into separate boxes or compartments, whereby the vote may be more readily, rapidly, and accurately counted, as has hitherto been the practice; thus, not only involving inaccuracy and doubt as to figures,but also delaying the hour of filing official returns, and thus extending the temptation of dishonest boards over a longer period of time, and multiplying facilities for tampering with the vote cast. Moreover, in the use of the so-called blanket ballot an improper or erroneous preparation of the vote for a single candidate may endanger or defeat the entire ballot of the voter. These are some of the common defects of the so-called secret or blanket ballot; and they have been reverted to only for the purpose of a more perfect understanding of the aim, object and desirability of my present invention.

Referring to the drawings herewith, consisting of one sheet Figure I isa view of the face ofthe ballot-sheet, showing by the broken lines II and I-I the creasing of the paper or parchment to facilitate folding, as hereinafter described. Fig. II isa perspective view of the same, showing its appearance when the voter has selected and designated his choice of candidates, and has partially folded the sheet. Fig. III is a view showing the-ballotsheet completely folded and fiat, and ready for presentation to the tellers for voting.

Likeletters and numerals refer tolike parts throughout the drawings, except that, when the reverse side of the sheet shown in Fig. I appears, the letters are primed.

I use, preferably, a rectilinear sheet of paper, of any desirable width, and of a length which is to be determined by the circumstances attending its use as to general divisions bf the ticket to be voted, as to the number of offices to be filled and as to the number of candidates for each office. In this form of ballot a detachable stub at the end of the sheet is desirable, and when the ballot, by reason of there being a largelist of names to be printed in a single column, becomes so long to be unwieldy, it is necessary also to have an intermediate stub, detachably connecting the entire sheet, so that the ballot may be subdivided as upon the upper line 3-3 of the intermediate stub, which stub should be provided with a number corresponding with that of the end stub, and which stubs are used to identify the sections of the original single ballot. The use of such detachable stub at the end of the sheet is not new and is not claimed as part of my invention, except as entering into the combination herein described;but the use of the intermediate stub is claimed as new. These stubs are indicated in Fig. I at a and c. The sheet is detachably divided by perforations as shown by 2-2, 3-3, Fig. I, and the dotted lines running parallel therewith, thus dividing it into sections or detachable ballots a, c, and b, b, &c. I then print upon each detachable ballot and stub the necessary matter. Upon the ballots b, b, I print the names of the offices to be filled, preferably upon the left hand portion. In a corresponding column to the right, and preferably upon the central portion, I print the names of the candidates, and in a corresponding column, immediately following their names, I designate the party or faction which they represent. And in this connection I have made provisions which may be used whereby, for the purpose of assisting illiterate voters, a system of party emblems may be printed upon the ballots, preferably near the stubs or tags (1, c, hereinafter described, and as illustrated by the circle and cross shown att' and h. These are also placed in a corresponding column, so that the office to be filled, the name of the candidate, his party affiliation and the emblem of his party fall evenly upon a right line, so that the ballot may readily be read in each case from left to right. Immediately opposite the name of each candidate, the name of his party and the emblem of his party I construct tags or stubs, d, c, Fig. I, and d, c, Fig. II, by cut ting away the material, substantially as shown in thedrawings, and by lines of perforations o fif, Fig. I, and f, f, Fig. II, so that each stub or 6 becomes separately detachable from the ballot. Of course the number of stubs on each ballot would be regulated by the number of candidates.

Before explaining how the ballot is voted I refer to the remaining features of its construction. The ballot-sheet is creased or folded on the lines 11 and 1'-1, Figs. I, II, and III, at such distances from the sides of the paper as to make it impossible to fold the sheet in but one way. The side L, Fig. I, is so broad that, if folded down first, the side R will not fold down upon the creasing 11', so that the side having the detachable stubs along its outer edge must be folded down first in each instance, thereby making the ballot, when folded, a secret ballot. Upon the reverse of the part L or upon 0, but preferably upon L, Fig. I, I print such matter as is required to appear upon the outside of the ordinary ticket, as formerly used, the reverse of the stubs bearing such matter as may be found desirable.

I do not claim as any element of my invention the printing or arrangement of reading matter except in so far as the same enters into the combination shown.

When folded the entire ballot appears as shown in Fig. III, While the process and manner of folding is clearly indicated in Fig. II, except that, when the ballot is subdivided by the use of an intermediate stub, it would appear in two sections, being separated upon the line 3-3.

I now revert to the manner in which the ballot may be voted, deposited, and subsequently, with others, counted. The voter renames of the persons of his choice; or, it is obvious that the reverse rule may be adopted and he may tear oif all the stubs or tags excepting the persons for whom he desires to vote. If he is unable to read and the party emblems are used he may be guided by such emblems in detaching the stubs or tags. When this is done the appearance of the ballot would be indicated in Fig. II at d and it. Then, having folded the ballot, as before indicated, he may present the same to the inspectors, who, keeping the ballot still folded, as in Fig. III, (or, if divided upon the line 3-3 of the intermediate stub by the inspector, the two sections would be subject to the same rules for folding, and the only difference in appearance would be that, instead of a single ballot, as shown in Fig. III, there would be two sections, the first like that shown in Fig. III down to the line 33, and the second like the remaining portion of the ballot shown in Fig. 1H,) separates the same upon the lines of perforation, and according to the labeling thereon at a b c, as shown in Fig. III, deposit the same in the several ballot boxes provided. Upon counting the votes, which would naturally be of perfectly uniform size, they are readily separated in piles by the positions of the undetached stubs or tags, thus preventing error in reading. There remains then only the work of counting each class of votes to arrive at the result.

Having thus described my invention and its use, what I claim as new is- 1. In'a voting sheet or ballot, the combination, with a series of detachable ballots, of a series of small, removable tags or stubs along the outer edge of each ballot, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a voting sheet or ballot, the combination of the stubs a and c with the detachable ballots b, I), having the detachable tags or stubs cl and e substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a voting sheet or ballot, the combination of the detachable stubs a and c, the detachable ballots b, b, the detachable tags or stubs d and 6, having the perforated lines 2 2, and the creased or folding lines 1 1 and 1 -1, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4.. In a voting sheet or ballot, the combina tion of the detachable stubs, a and c, similarly numbered or marked, and detachably connected upon the lines 3-3, whereby the ballot may be separated into sections and identified by said stubs, the detachable tags, 01 and IIO e, the lines of perforation, fwhereby the voter may designate his choice by the removal of the tag 61 or e, the creased or folding lines, 1-1, 1'1, upon which the ballot may be folded, and the lines of perforation, 2 2, upon which the ballots maybe separated without unfolding the sheet, substantially as'and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I aifix my signature in pres- 1o ence of two witnesses.

ROBERT WHITE. Witnesses:

- HARVEY W. PUTNAM,

OHAs. M. HARRINGTON. 

